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I made a rye bread with shredded carrots while being a test baker for Stanley Ginsberg’s Rye Baker book and that came out better than I expected. I’m not a big carrot cake fan, but I do love roasted caramelized carrots, which are sweet like candy. I used some special multi-colored purple, yellow, and orange carrots and roasted them in some olive oil until they were nice and soft and sweet. I mashed them up before adding them in the dough and I was not disappointed with the final bread. It came out moist with just a little hint of sweetness from the carrots. This is one of those bakes you can eat just by itself with nothing on it, but it does go well with cheese and was perfect to dip in the Instant Pot sausage, peppers and beans we made last night :).

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled. You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4’s of the water called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients, in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the water is absorbed. Add the remainder of the water and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge. Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough. I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

Main Dough Procedure

Peel and cut the carrots into medium to small size pieces and toss in some olive oil. Place on a sheet pan and roast at 425 F until soft and slightly charred. Let cool until ready to use and mash using a potato masher .

If using your own milled flour, mill and sift as desired. Next, mix the flours, porridge and the water for about 1 minute. Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour. Next add the levain, carrots and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes. Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds. Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold. Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold. After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours. (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1 hour. Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it’s size at most. Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf. I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

I love porridge breads. They are so moist and flavorful I never tire of making or eating them.

I tried something a little different for this one by using Greek yogurt in place of part of the water in making the porridge. I think it just added an extra layer of flavor and was worth trying.

I also used beer as part of the liquid in the main dough. This one was extra hydrated and was a little challenging to shape the next day. Next time I would shape it right out of the refrigerator instead of letting it sit out for an hour.

The final bread tasted and smelled fantastic. It was extra moist and good enough to eat without anything on it. The beer didn’t come through as much as I would have hoped since I didn’t use enough of it due to only having 1 left to use. Next time I will use all beer instead of water.

I’ve included a bunch of photos from my garden which is in full bloom right now. Hope you give this one a try and enjoy the flowers.

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled. I used my proofer set at 83 degrees and it took about 4 hours. You can use it immediately in the final dough or let it sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Porridge Directions

Add about 3/4’s of the milk called for in the porridge to the dry ingredients in a small pot set to low and stir constantly until all the milk is absorbed. Add the remainder of the milk and keep stirring until you have a nice creamy and soft porridge. Remove from the heat and let it come to room temperature before adding to the dough. I put mine in the refrigerator and let it cool quicker.

Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, and the water for about 1 minute. Let the rough dough sit for about 20 minutes to an hour. Next add the levain, cooled porridge, and salt and mix on low for 5 minutes. Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds. Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold. Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold. After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours. (Since I used my proofer I only let the dough sit out for 1.5 hours before refrigerating).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours. Remove the dough and shape as desired.

The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature and will only rise about 1/3 it’s size at most. Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf. I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

In any case, I just couldn’t wait any longer to join the fun and bake my “NO OVEN” challenge bread. Of course over this past weekend it was raining and snowing so I had to wait until Monday. I was working from home for the day prepping for my colonoscopy the next day. Well, it’s so much fun not being able to eat anything except broth and Jello for a day and a half, especially when ones wife has baked 500 Christmas cookies. The smell of the baked/smoked bread was almost enough to drive me over the edge :0.

I used my Weber charcoal grill and added some Hickory wood chunks to get a nice smokey flavor and it really came through. I set the 2 charcoal baskets on each side of the kettle so I could bake the bread on indirect heat. The only issue I had was the parchment paper caught fire from the wood chunks flaming more than anticipated and burned the bottom of the loaves slightly.

I used an aluminum pan on the bottom of the grill and dumped in 1 1/2 cups of hot water to generate some steam. I think in hindsight it could have used more steam and it would have helped if it wasn’t so cold outside since I was only able to get the grill up to 425 degrees briefly. Usually I can easily get it to over 500 degrees.

All in all, when I was finally able to try a piece this afternoon after my procedure, the taste was amazing. The smokey flavor is incredible and even the slightly charred bottom is not bad :). The onion really shines in this one and the cream cheese really created a soft moist crumb.

The crumb could have been more open but I think my timing was off a little since I was working while trying to bake this as well and probably should have gotten it in the barbecue earlier.

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled. I usually do this the night before. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, cracked wheat, and 400 grams of the Ale together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute. Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 60 minutes or longer. I actually left it for around 2.5 hours. Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), honey, cream cheese and balance of the Ale, and mix on low for 5 minutes. Add the caramelized onions and mix until incorporated. Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds. Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold. Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold. After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours. (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours. Remove the dough and shape as desired. Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature. Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

As I mentioned above I used my Weber charcoal kettle grill but you can also bake in your oven as well.

After returning from my annual pilgrimage to North Carolina and finding my kitchen devoid of fresh bread I got busy milling some fresh flour.

I wanted to use a beer in this bake and decided that fresh spelt and Kamut would go great with the Pale Ale I had in stock. Of course some caramelized onions would also go well with this combination and some Greek Yogurt and honey rounded out the flavor profile.

I added some smoked sesame seeds and garlic sesame seeds to the top and baked it boldly.

The flavor is nutty and bursting with sweetness from the onions and honey. The crumb is moderate and not as open as I expected but ideal for sandwiches.

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled. I usually do this the night before. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, cracked wheat, Greek Yogurt and 400 grams of the Ale together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute. Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 60 minutes or longer. I actually left it for around 2.5 hours. Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), honey, and balance of the Ale, and mix on low for 5 minutes. Add the caramelized onions and mix until incorporated. Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds. Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold. Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold. After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours. (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours. Remove the dough and shape as desired. Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature. Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf. I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 445 degrees. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

Fresh milled Spelt flour and Rye along with rye chops, cracked wheat and barley flakes were left to autolyse for 24 hours. The resulting bread was an earthy, nutty wholesome bread perfect for sandwiches, grilled bread or just spread with some butter.

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for around 8-12 hours or until the starter is nice and bubbly.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours along with the rye chops, cracked wheat and barley flakes until incorporated and add all of the water. Mix for about 30 seconds until you have a shaggy dough and cover your bowl. Put it in your refrigerator overnight or around 24 – 36 hours.

Next add your starter, salt and oil and mix on low speed if using a mixer for around 4 minutes.

Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds. Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold. Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold. After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours. (If you have a proofer you can set it to 80 degrees and follow above steps but you should be finished in 1 hour to 1.5 hours).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours. Remove the dough and shape as desired. Place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature. Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf. I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

I was in the mood for a pretty simple but tasty bread so I threw this one together a day after my return from my business trip to Germany.

I used a mix of AP, freshly milled whole wheat and rye along with some rye chops and cracked wheat for added texture.

The addition of the olive oil helped soften the crumb a bit and the toasted onions added a nice subtle onion flavor.

The final bread came out very tasty with a fairly open crumb and thick crust. The only issue I had was the bottom crust was a little gummy which may have been caused from overproofing the dough but I’m not sure. I almost never have this issue so hopefully it was an aberration. Fortunately, the bread still tasted great. If there wasn’t snow on the ground I would fire up the grill and throw some slices on with olive oil, garlic and fresh mozzarella.

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for around 8-12 hours or until the starter is nice and bubbly.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Main Dough Procedure

Mix the levain by dissolving the liquid starter in the water, then add the flours and mix well. Ferment at room temperature, covered tightly, until the surface is bubbly and wrinkled. (8-12 hours)

Add onions to water and let sit for 5 minutes to rehydrate. Add water mixture to flour and mix for 1 minute or less. Cover and autolyse for 30 minutes.
Add the rest of ingredients and mix to incorporate for 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly.

Bulk ferment for 3 hours with stretch and folds in the bowl every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, then a stretch and fold on the board after 2.5 hours. The dough should have expanded by about 50% and be full of small bubbles. Refrigerate the dough for 18-24 hours.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and transfer it to a lightly floured board. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and pre-shape as a round. Cover the dough and allow to rest for 60 minutes.

Next, shape as batards and proof for 45 minutes, covered.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf. I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 5 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

This is similar to a bake I did a little while ago but I changed things up a little. I used a much higher % of freshly milled whole wheat flour and a little less whole rye. I also used some pecan meal and cracked wheat and eliminated the onions.

I am not sure how much the pecan flavor really comes through but you can definitely taste some nuttiness for sure and it gave the crumb an interesting purple haze color similar to when adding walnuts.

This one did turn out very nice with a fairly open crumb and thin crust typical to this style of bread. The whole grain flours also shine nicely in this mix. It passes the “You can eat it with some butter or cheese only test” and make a meal of it :).

I made batards but you can easily make baguettes or other shapes as desired.

Mix all the Levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for around 8-12 hours or until the starter is nice and bubbly.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Main Dough Procedure

Dissolve the levain in the water, add the flours and mix to a shaggy mass. Cover and autolyse for 30 minutes.

Add the salt and pecan meal and mix to incorporate for 5 minutes on low if using a mixer. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly.

Bulk ferment for 3 hours with stretch and folds in the bowl every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours. The dough should have expanded by about 50% and be full of small bubbles.

Refrigerate the dough for 18-24 hours.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and transfer it to a lightly floured board.

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and pre-shape as a round. Cover the dough and allow to rest for 60 minutes.

Shape as batards and proof for 45 minutes, covered.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. and prepare it for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf. I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 500 degrees and after another 3 minutes lower it to 455 degrees. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 210 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 1 hour before eating.